For two decades Mitsubishi has been striving establish an identity for itself in the American car market. Not succeeding, it has had to move the metal using low prices, high incentives, and easy credit. Its latest strategy to cut through the automotive clutter involves bizarre styling. This strategy worked well for Pontiac in the 1990s, but recently the GM brand has vowed to move in a more tasteful direction. Does this bode well for Mitsubishi? I recently took its newest product, the Endeavor car-based SUV, for a test drive.

Mitsubishi Endeavor Reliability

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Styling

Well, the Endeavor is bizarre. You know how Hollywood sometimes takes a regular car and goops it up for a movie? Like with the Family Truckster for National Lampoon’s Vacation? Well, the Endeavor looks like a Jeep Grand Cherokee that Hollywood had a go at. (The hyperlinks lead to my reviews of related vehicles.) It has the Jeep’s chunky fender flares, but somehow they look more tasteful on the Jeep. Maybe it’s the prow on the Mitsubishi’s front end and the triangular tail lights styled to look like they’re supporting the rear window that do it. Pick a quirky styling detail—the Endeavor looks every inch a poser. The TV ads suggest it’s a family vehicle with the veneer of an SUV. The styling screams it. With a chassis from the next-generation Galant this puppy isn’t engineered to venture off the pavement, but the sheetmetal isn’t even trying to fake it.

Maybe this is a good thing. After all, isn’t a convincing fake worse than an obvious parody?

Also, Mitsubishi’s main claim is that its styling is not boring, and unlike the Honda Pilot’s and Toyota Highlander’s it’s not.

Inside things are less wacky. The centerpiece is a large metallic center stack styled to resemble a boom box. It actually looks okay, and the large, well-organized buttons and knobs for the audio system and HVAC are very easy to use aside from the fashionable LCD-panel control readouts. At least this small LCD is easier to read while playing with the knobs and buttons than others I’ve tried. (That in the new Nissan Quest is awful.) The graphics on the LCD, dominated by a large funky compass, are the wackiest thing in the interior.

The only other slightly off part of the interior are the bluish-gray rubberish door panel inserts. I recall something similar in a Mitsubishi Galant I rented a year or two ago. Who at Mitsubishi thinks this color looks sharp in an otherwise black interior? Well, at least it’s just the door panels this time, and the color is not nearly so bad as in that Galant. In most light I didn’t mind it at all.

I drove an XLS with black cloth interior. The cloth felt appropriate to an SUV. It and other materials looked and felt of good quality, if not quite up to Toyota standards.

Accommodations

The high driving position affords an excellent view out. The windshield is upright relative to a car’s, yet still placed well forward. I appreciate how this keeps the windshield well clear of my face. The downside: this windshield placement creates a couple of small side windows ahead of the doors, something usually seen in minivans of years past. They didn’t both me. It also creates a deep instrument panel, yet Mitsubishi has managed to style the top of the dash to disguise its expanse and thus avoid minivan connotations, unlike Nissan with the Murano.

The front seats are comfortable and supportive. They even provide some lateral support in turns, a rarity in this segment.

The rear seat is roomy, especially in terms of legroom, but its cushion is not positioned or angled to provide good thigh support for adults. There is no third row, a major omission.

The rear seat generally folds in one step to expand the cargo area. If the front seats are nearly all of the way back the rear headrests have to be removed or the front seats must be briefly moved forward, but that’s the only possible inconvenience involved in folding the rear seats. Cargo room appears generous, especially with the seats folded. On paper it trails other two-row midsize car-based SUVs by a few cubic feet, the Pilot by quite a few cubic feet.

On the Road

Only one engine is offered in the Endeavor, a big 3.8-liter V6 borrowed from the Montero that kicks out 215-horsepower. For the last few years engines, even American engines, have been making more and more power per liter. But lately the Koreans and Mitsubishi have been bucking the trend. Why does this engine trail even Toyota’s 3.0-liter in power, not to mention Honda’s and Nissan’s 3.5s? With a lowish power output, why is premium fuel recommended? Perhaps they focused on midrange power, and here the 3.8 delivers with a class-leading 250 foot-pounds at 3750 RPM.

The transmission isn’t too bleeding edge either, with just four forward gears. It does have an easy to use manumatic feature, though.

On the road this powertrain performs well. At low speeds the engine has plenty of punch, and on the highway it feels adequate. Turning on the A/C made a bit of a difference. The engine’s song is fairly gruff, more American than Asian. Because this is an SUV? I found the manumatic useful on curvy roads.

I tested an all-wheel-drive Endeavor. Still, a few times I felt a light tug at the steering wheel. Torque steer could be unpleasant in the front-wheel-drive version.

For an SUV the handling is above average, not quite Murano sporty but far from Pilot dull. The steering is a bit light, but still firmer and more nicely weighted than most in this class. I felt easily in control of the vehicle. Lean in turns is very moderate for an SUV, and the chassis generally felt balanced.

Ride quality is also good, if not luxurious. Road noise is moderate, and on the highway I noticed quite a bit of wind noise around the top of the driver’s window. Maybe this varies from vehicle to vehicle?

The Endeavor's very good handling and good ride quality bode well for many future cars. The Endeavor is the first vehicle off the platform for the next generation Galant, due in 2004. The same platform will underpin all future Chrysler small and midsize cars (Neon, Stratus, Sebring).

Pricing

The 2004 Endeavor comes in three trim levels, LS (black trim, alloys), XLS (chrome trim, nicer cloth, power driver’s seat, Infinity stereo with CD changer, funky compass, cargo cover), and Limited (color-keyed trim, heated leather, sunroof, automatic climate control, front side airbags). All-wheel-drive is available on all three for $2,000 (which includes $500 for anti-lock brakes). Prices with all-wheel-drive are $28,200 for the LS, $30,500 for the XLS, and $33,800 for the Limited.

An XLS can be optioned up to a Limited. Mine was base. I don’t get it. An extra $2,300 for trim, an admittedly nice stereo, a power seat, and a compass? Am I missing something here? If this is right, the LS looks like the best deal. Price leader, anyone? I suspect the LS cloth might just be “too shabby.” There’s also the issue that leather, a sunroof, and such are not available on the LS—but my XLS didn’t have these anyway.

According to Edmunds, the typical dealer discount and a $2,000 rebate bring the price on an all-wheel-drive XLS down to about $27,300. (An all-wheel-drive LS comes to about $25,100.)

The base XLS lines up pretty well with the $29,730 Honda Pilot EX (2003 model year) aside from the Honda’s automatic climate control. The Honda sells near sticker. Are a third row, dull styling, and numb steering worth $2,500 to you? Okay, for many people they will be, especially once the Honda name is tossed into the mix.

A 2003 Nissan Murano SL with Bose audio lists for $31,838, and the typical discount brings this to $30,200. So the Murano’s extra style and sportier handling will cost you about three grand. Pricey.

A 2003 Toyota Highlander Limited (similar equipment except it includes automatic climate control) lists for $31,605, but a heavy year-end discount and $900 rebate bring this all the way down to about $27,000. A very tempting price, even with the Highlander’s styling. Toyota really is pushing them out the door this summer…

For the lowest prices take a trip to the Americans and Koreans. An American car-based SUV with funky styling—that would be the Aztek. Heck, with the 17-inch alloys the styling of the thing is actually growing on me. 2004 will be the last model year, so don’t tarry. An all-wheel-drive Aztek equipped like the Endeavor lists for $26,940, and the typical discount and a $2,000 rebate bring this to about $23,100. To save a few more thou get the 2003. They should still have a few.

The quirkily styled Hyundai Santa Fe is shorter in exterior length than the others here, but is competitive with the Endeavor in passenger and cargo room. Also, the Hyundai recently became available with a 195-horsepower 3.5-liter V6. With optional stereo a GLS lists for $23,984, and the typical discount and a $1,000 rebate bring this to about $21,700.

In this context, the Endeavor is mid-pack in price. If you like how it looks and drives, I imagine it’s fairly priced, but it’s no bargain.

Last Words

The Endeavor handled significantly better than I expected. In other non-aesthetic areas it was adequate. A third row would be nice. The styling doesn’t do it for me. Okay, I think it’s ugly. If you, on the other hand, love how it looks and don’t have any use for a third row, then go ahead and buy one.

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Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 30,500
Model and Options: XLS AWD no options